Cincinnati Reds' Starting Pitchers: First Inning Blues

As far as numbers go, 404 looks pretty cool.  Take away the parts that jut out of the fours and it would be 101-or binary for five, and five is a great number.  One can do all kinds of things with five. Unfortunately, 404 can also be looked at as a percentage.  So far this season, Reds' pitchers have given up at least one run during the first inning of 38 of their 94 games—or 40.4 percent each time their starter has taken the mound. In the first inning of each of the ninety four games played, the Reds' starting corps has a mind-blowing 7.30 ERA.  Yes, like all other teams, the Reds have given up some huge first innings. Let's take away the four worst and four of the three up, three down innings, and see what we get.  The ERA drops to 5.76, with a 1.66 WHIP, .292 opponent batting average (BAA), and a .372 opponent on-base percentage (OOBP). Remember, BAA is batting average against or opponent batting average, and OOBP is opponent on-base p...